The more I use social media over the years the more convinced I am that it is very hard to say exactly what it is. There are various platforms and even these are hard to explain simply. I’ve been training people how to use social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and others for about 8 years.

I first started out by teaching classes in my living room – mainly – how does one use Facebook – personal pages vs. business pages + netiquette – how to be in those places and look like you have a clue. As the various platforms have expanded their feature set and made things a bit more difficult for businesses to reach their fans how people use them have changed. Here are some of the new uses that I am experiencing and seeing in the field.

1. Some people are just using the systems as a messaging system – an example would be FB messenger. I note that I am having more and more personal “email like” interactions via FB messenger than in the past. FB messenger seems to be replacing email in terms of personal connections/conversations in my world.

2. People pick their platforms and stick with them. I know a number of people who are mainly on one platform and that’s it. My nextdoor neighbor runs an Instagram page for his crystal business. He’s up to 132K followers. I encouraged him to get going with email marketing – and he has, but really, he’s having so much success and fun with Instagram.. that he’s pretty happy with that one platform. Personally, I don’t recommend having all your eggs in one basket (ie, make sure to be list-building – that’s yours…) – but I see this across the board. People who are mainly on Twitter or FB.

3. Then, there’s how one spends their time on FB (as an example). I used to spend much more time on the timeline – and I’m sure many still do. But ever since I discovered Friends’ Lists and how to segment my 3770 closest friends + see all the posts of those who I most want to follow/learn from.. that has changed my FB experience dramatically. I also am using FB much more to network with others and connect around business topics in relevant groups. The ALE Family/LESA group has actually really changed my thinking around how a small, dedicated group of people can come together for a common purpose and really elevate everyones’ experience.

I’ve been looking for articles like this one where people delve into how these prominent tools/platforms are being used – in non-obvious ways, but have not really found what I’m looking for. So, I’ll try putting out my own thinking on the topic and see how that goes. Perhaps if you get what I’m getting at and you find something that you think is similar, add a link on this post. Thanks!

Do you use social media in a way that you think was not intended by the creators? Please share below!

Have a great Summer – Albert Kaufman, Albertideation, Portland, Oregon, The United States

PS – when you get to my website, please do take a moment to join my email list. I have a few different projects I’m working on and I’d love you along for the ride!